Wandering Into LazyTown! (What the Heck!)
by LadyOfSlytherin101
Summary: Two girls running away from the elder's abusive ex-boyfriend. An innocent wish, and a slightly above average superhero. When two girls run away and end up in LazyTown, and meet a certain hero, their lives are turned upside down. The eldest begins to love again, only for a shadow from her past to come for her and it will take her Dead or Alive Rated T for Violence & implied content
1. Chapter 1

Wandering into LazyTown!(What the Heck!?)

Chapter one: Starlight, Star bright

_Hi guys! I decided to do a LazyTown story! My niece and I watched it together a lot when it was on and she was totally crazy for it! She even went as Stephanie one Halloween. But alas, it stopped showing and I don't even think she even remembers it too well. I liked the show myself and I still do though I'm in my 20's now. I think I was about 15 or so the last time I saw it. Sportacus 10 was my favorite character. And yet I keep finding all these Sporta/Steph pairings and no offense to anyone who likes this pairing, I don't! I mean she's a little kid and he's a lot older. I don't care if some of the pairings are when she's older! It's just weird that he would go out with a girl he knew when she was a kid! It's just creepy! I'm sorry if I offended anyone. Now before you ask on the Sporta/Robbie pairings, it's not my favorite thing in the world but I'm ok with it. It's a lot better than Sporta/Steph._

_Now I have seen a couple of good Sporta/oc stories but they were never finished. I'm going to strive to finish this one and if I can find the episodes then I might go by episodes. If not, I'll make my own._

_The basic gist of the story is a young woman and her little sister are trying to get away from the elder's abusive ex-boyfriend and find their Aunt Bessie whom they have never met. One night while driving, the little girl makes a wish for them to live in LazyTown, because it's her favorite show and in her mind if anyone can protect them it would be Sportacus 10. After making her wish, she falls asleep while her sister looks back at her sadly knowing the wish would never come true. She continues to drive through the night, not knowing what would happen the next day._

_The next day they, continue driving seemingly in the middle of nowhere, they come across a small town. The little girl brightens up and thinks they have arrived in LazyTown. The elder tries to gently tell her that it isn't Lazytown, but the little one won't listen. She does become convinced when Bessie comes up to them and says that she's their aunt. The elder warns the younger not to say anything about where they come from, lest it causes problems, especially about the ex-boyfriend._

_They move in with Bessie and they slowly adjust to their life in LazyTown. Then the elder meets Sportacus 10 and her world is turned upside down. But nothing lasts forever. The last person she wishes to see shows up and will make she suffers and comes back with him…Dead or Alive…._

_That's the brief summary. I'm not expecting a whole bunch of reviews and stuff but if you do come across this and like it please review!_

"Sissy, where we goin'?" A little voice asked from the back of a car. The voice belonged to a little girl about 5 years old with curly blonde hair and the bluest eyes you have ever seen. She was sweet by nature and a regular ball of sunshine and energy. She sat in a blue car seat clutching a rather worn but well loved tiger doll.

The girl in the front of the car glanced back at the little girl in the back seat. Her own coloring was different than the little girl's. Her hair was black with a faint bluish tint to it and her eyes were a darker shade of blue. She was no older than 19 but her now dim green eyes spoke of events far beyond her years. She had a sort of tired look about her as her normally curly black hair hung limply down her back and her skin was rather pale and her once full figure looked thin and beaten like she hadn't had a decent meal. If one looked closely they could see the faint remains of a black eye on her right eye. And if you were to move the sleeves of her black and red long sleeve shirt, you would see multiple bruises and cuts. And around her torso you would find bandages wrapped around her like her ribs were broken. And her legs were bruised and cut up like her arms; all in various stages of healing.

They had been driving for nearly 5 days, stopping only when they had to and never lingering. They were running.

"Somewhere far away, Emma. With luck we will find Aunt Bessie. And we will start a new life and have lots of fun. Ok?" The older girl said to the younger.

The young girl, Emma, thought about it. "Are we hiding from Tom?"

The elder paused for a few moments staring at the dark road in front of her. She considered her words carefully. Emma knew that Tom wasn't nice but she didn't know the true extent as she had hidden her injuries from her young sister. Tom had never hit Emma but when he threatened Emma, she knew it was time to get out and run.

"Yes we are." She said slowly. "And we don't want him to find us. He's a bad man."

"Ok. We should go to LazyTown! They have a superhero there! He'd protect us! And there's lots of nice people there! I wish we could go to LazyTown! I wish with all might! Don't you Ari?" Emma said as she yawned before snuggling into her seat with her stuffed tiger doll before falling into a deep sleep.

Ari glanced back at her sister sadly. She knew that her sister was still young and didn't fully understand that things happened just by wishing. She sighed as she brushed a stray tear from the corner of her eye.  
"Me too, Emma, me too." She sighed as she continued on driving into the night their destination unknown. Far above them, the stars glittered in the inky blue sky like diamonds. A single star that shone brighter than the others around it, glowed brighter like it had their wish before dying down to its original glow.

You know what they say: Be careful what you wish for. You just might get it. And these two girls were about to get their wish…

_I'm not expecting a whole lot of reviews on this but I'll keep working on it if people really want me to._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter One: Welcome to LazyTown

The next day dawned with clear skies and gentle winds, promising to be a beautiful day. Nocturnal animals returned to their homes for a long day of slumber while other animals began to waking up to greet the day. The early morning sunlight slowly peeked into the windows of a lone car that was parked on a lonely stretch of road where two figures were fast asleep inside.

The sunlight drifted first over the tired and bruised figure of an older girl, trying to penetrate her eyelids, causing them to twitch before she rolled over to avoid the sun's questing rays. The sunbeams then moved onto the figure of a small girl whose blonde curls seemed to glow from the sun. She stirred before her blue eyes blinked open sleepily and squinting from the sun shining in her eyes. She rubbed her eyes before glancing around tiredly.

She glanced over to the girl in the driver seat from her spot in the reclining passenger seat. She glanced down at herself and noticed that she had a blanket while the girl in the driver's seat, her sister, had none. She frowned slightly before clambering over to where her sister lay still fast asleep.

She normally wouldn't have woken her up, but she was hungry. She climbed into the seat with her sister and gently nudged her. The older girl gave a soft grown before her own green eyes opened and peeked out from behind a curtain of tangled black hair.

She slowly sat up, wincing slightly as the movement pulled at sore muscles and still healing bruises and cuts. She let out a yawn and stretching, once again wincing at the pain, most of it from her ribs. She rubbed her ribs gently and pushed her hair aside so she could see her younger sibling.

"Ari, I'm hungry." The little one said, stomach growling as if to emphasize her point.

Ari frowned slightly before rubbing her eyes and yawning once more.

"Alright Emma. Let's get changed and then I'll find us something for breakfast, ok?" She asked as she stroked her sister golden hair.

Emma nodded before clambering into the backseat and began rummaging around in her bag for some fresh clothes.

Ari pulled out some makeup and began covering up her black eyes and various bruises that had become visible. Once satisfied that they were completely covered, she joined her sister in the back seat to change clothes.

Emma had dressed herself in a pair of blue shorts, white t-shirt with a blue flower on it, and a pair of blue and white sneakers with a pair of white socks.

Ari had decided to wear a pair of dark blue jeans with a black square cut long sleeve shirt that showed a small amount of cleavage and a pair of black ankle boots. She brushed out her hair and put it in a high ponytail then brushed her sister's hair into pigtails.

Once they were dressed, Ari climbed back into the front seat while Emma climbed back into her carseat. Once her seat was in the proper position and she was sure that Emma was buckled in, she started up the car and started down the road, keeping an eye out for any towns they could stop in to eat.

After a few hours of empty roads and not seeing anything, Ari saw a sign say there was a town a few miles ahead. She had driven by before she could get a look at the name of the town, but it didn't matter to her. All that she cared about was the fact there was a town up ahead where they could stop and rest.

She reached back while keeping her eyes on the road and shook Emma's foot gently to wake her up as she had fallen asleep again.

"Wake up honey. There's a town up ahead. We're gonna stop there ok? I need you to wake up a bit."

Emma yawned and nodded still half asleep. Ari glanced at her in the rearview mirror with a fond smile. She sincerely hoped that they would find someplace nice to live and Emma could have a proper childhood. She deserved that much. She had lost their parents at a young age and would never know them.

Ari continued driving until they reached the town and yet, something was awfully familiar about this town. She felt like she had seen this town somewhere before. The houses and stores were brightly painted in shades of orange and yellows. There was a basketball court as well as a baseball field. She could barely make out the shape of a large billboard at the other end of town.

She parked the car near the basketball court and climbed out of the car and looked around. Everything was rather quiet, and she saw no one around. Where were they and where was everyone?

Emma bolted out of the car before Ari had time to react. Emma took off down the street in excitement. She couldn't believe it! Her wish had come true! They were in LazyTown! First thing she wanted to do was find Stephanie Meanswell. If she found Stephanie, then she could find Sportacus 10!

She continued to run down the street, ignoring the calls of her sister. She darted around a corner, her sister in pursuit.

Ari ran after Emma as fast as she could. But Emma was quicker and darted around a corner. Ari attempted to do the same, but lost her balance. She fell sideways and was about to crack her head open on the street below her but she was caught in someone's strong arms and being hoisted up so she was being held bridal style. She had squeezed her eyes shut for the impact but when it never came and the feeling someone's arms wrapped around her, she cautiously opened her eyes.

"Are you ok?" a voice asked with an accent she couldn't place asked from somewhere above her.

She looked up and found herself face to face with Sportacus 10…


	3. Chapter 3

Settling In

"I don't think she likes me." Sportacus 10 remarked as he watched Ari and Emma move stuff into their new home. He had offered to help but Ari refused and then proceeded to ignore him.

Stephanie, who had been standing next to him, looked up in confusion. "What makes you say that Sportacus?" Stephanie had thought the girl was rather nice and had asked her to show her some dance moves. Stephanie was happy to agree and was always ready to make new friends.

Sportacus shrugged and continued to watch Ari. He had been up in his airship doing his normal routine when his crystal had gone off letting him know that someone needed his help. He had jumped down from his airship in his usual fashion, thinking one of the kids was in trouble. But when he got down there, to his surprise, it was someone he had never seen before. And she was about to crack her head open on the pavement below. Quickly executing some flips and turns, he caught her before she hit the ground below. He hoisted her into his arms bridal style, frowning when he noticed how light she seemed for her size.

She had her squeezed tight in anticipation for the fall, but she now seemed to realize that she was wasn't going to fall.

"Are you alright?" he asked in concern.

She opened her eyes and he saw the greenest eyes he had ever seen and yet they looked like they had seen things making them look far older than her young appearance.

She stared at him for a few moments before pushing herself free with a mumbled "fine". Sportacus noticed that when he reached out to steady her, she recoiled from his touch as if she expected him to do something. A little girl came up to her and the older began talking with her in a low tone so he couldn't hear. He took the time to examine her. Her hair was long and thick but seemed rather limp and dead. Her black long sleeved shirt seemed a little baggy on her frame and he caught a flash of white near the wrists. Her face looked worn and aged for someone so young. Her eyes spoke of hardship and pain. He looked closer at her face and noticed that her makeup had smudged around her eyes and cheek and he could see the faint blue and black of a bruise and black eye. She also held herself at certain angles like she was trying to avoid moving too much and not put a whole lot of weight in certain areas. He had never seen someone look so defeated and careworn. He could guess the eldest hadn't been eating though the little girl looked perfectly fine.

Sportacus's stomach clenched when his fears were confirmed. She had been beaten and pretty severely at that. From the way she stood, it looked like she had either bruised or broken ribs in the process of healing. He was about to say something when Bessie Busybody and the Mayor came over. The older girl and Bessie spoke for awhile before both girls followed her to the older girl's rather worn car, and getting a couple of bags before walking to Bessie's house. Sportacus gathered that the two girls were the nieces Bessie said were coming to stay. He wondered if Bessie knew.

"Sportacus?" Stephanie called looking up at him concerned. It wasn't like him to go quite and stand so still.

Sportacus shook his head and smiled down at Stephanie to let her know he was alright. It wasn't like him to get so distracted. He looked back up and noticed that the girls and Bessie had gone inside. He walked up to the door and knocked. As luck would have it, Bessie answered the door.

"Oh, hello Sportacus! What can I do for you?" Bessie asked. She had a feeling that Sportacus was there about Ari. She had noticed the way her eldest niece looked and had come to the same conclusion.

"Hi Bessie. I realized that I had never properly introduced myself to your nieces."

Bessie knew the real reason he was here but she played along in case Ari walked in.

"Of course! Come in, come in!" she said as she ushered in the slightly above average Superhero. Checking to see if the girls were still upstairs unpacking, she turned to look at him with a frown on her normally smiling face. "I suppose that you've noticed it too?" she asked getting straight to the point.

Sportacus smiled grimly. Leave it to Bessie to figure someone out right from the beginning.

"Yes. She recoiled from me earlier when I tried to steady her. She seemed afraid that I was going to hit her. She looks like she's been through a lot Bessie. Has she said anything to you?"

Bessie shook her head. "No, but when I asked why she decided to move here, she said it was from bad memories and leaving the past behind. I didn't get anything else out of her. It's no good asking her little sister Emma either. She seems mute on the subject as well. Though she did say something about how they were running away from a bad man that hurt Ari. That's all I could get before Ari shushed her."

"Ari?"

"Short for Arianna"

"It's beautiful. And a bad man? You don't think Emma was talking about an ex-boyfriend?"

Bessie sighed. "For all we know, she could be. We won't know until Arianna feels comfortable enough to talk to us."

Sportacus was about to say something when Emma hopped down the stairs and leaped off the 3 step from the floor.

Sportacus leaned forward slightly and caught her before she fell. She beamed up at him as he set her down and stuck her hand in his, her hand tiny compared to his.

"Hiya I'm Emma!" She said as she bounced slightly from pent up energy.

Sportacus smiled at her. "And I'm Sportacus 10! LazyTown's Slightly Above Average superhero!"

Emma's grin got bigger before a low grumbling sound was heard. It sounded again and everyone looked down at Emma as she wrapped her arms around her stomach, giggling.

"My stomach's talking to me!" She giggled as her stomach gave out an even louder growl.

Bessie smiled. "Mayor Milford invited us over for breakfast. Why don't you come help me make some muffins to take over."

Emma bounced off happily towards the kitchen completely at ease. Bessie turned to Sportacus. "Do you mind running upstairs to check on Arianna for me? I'm a little worried, it's been too quiet."

Sportacus nodded. "Sure thing Bessie!"

He walked upstairs and saw a door standing open and heard movement coming from inside. He guessed that was where Arianna was. He walked into the room slowly with almost no noise.

Arianna had removed her shirt and was wearing a black tank top that did nothing to hide the bandages wrapped around her arms, shoulders, and chest. She was busy putting clothes into the drawers of a dresser and had not noticed his presence.

He walked up behind her, staring down at her bandages that covered her body. His stomach clenched at thought of all the pain she must have been through. No one deserved to be treated the way she had.

Arielle had been putting her clothes away when she felt someone behind her. Reacting out of fear and instinct, she quickly ducked down and curled herself into a small ball, holding her arms to shield her face and chanting, "Please don't hurt me, Tom. I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

She struggled when she felt strong arms wrap around her and pull her into a firm and warm chest. It wasn't until she heard Sportacus' soothing voice did she go limp.

"Shh. It's ok. He's not going to hurt you anymore. I'm here and I'll protect you. Everything's going to be ok." Sportacus murmured as he rocked her gently back and forth and rubbed her back gently in what he hoped was a soothing manner.

She stiffened before she did the one thing she swore she would never do again. She trusted him. She didn't know why, but there was something about him that made her feel safe and secure. A few tears slipped out of the corners of her eyes as she reached arms up and returned his embrace.

Sportacus tightened his grip slightly but loosened it when a whine escaped her lips.

"Sorry."

"It's ok. You must really be a superhero cause you made me do two things I swore never to do."

Sportacus drew back slightly so he could see her eyes.

"And what's that?"

She smiled, making her eyes light up. "You made me trust you. And I cried." Her smile trembled slightly as she leaned forward to hug him once more.

Sportacus didn't know what it was about her, but he never wanted to let her go. Maybe now they could be friends and hopefully she would trust him in time to come to him and tell him what happened. But he would wait until she was ready.

Her stomach growling made them laugh and pull away. Ari blushed slightly and brushed her hair behind her ear in a manner that Sportacus found most endearing.

"My stomach's talking to me." She said as she wrapped her arms around her stomach.

Sportacus laughed. "Your sister said the same thing a few minutes ago."

Ari smiled mischievously. "Of course she did. Who do you think she learned it from?"

"Let me guess. She learned it from you?"

"Guilty!" Ari grinned unrepentantly.

They shared a laugh before the smell of freshly baked muffins reached them. Ari's stomach growled once more and she grinned sheepishly.

"Come on. Bessie says that you're going to the Mayor's house for breakfast. No offense, but you look like you could use it." Sportacus said as he helped her to her feet.

She nodded as she replaced her shirt, covering her bandages. She caught his eyes and smiled. "Don't worry, I'll talk to Aunt Bessie about it and besides he can't hurt me anymore. He won't find us here. Even if he does, I can count on you to protect us, right?"

Sportacus smiled and placed his fists on his hips in a superhero pose. "Yep! You can count on me, Ari!"

Ari giggled before standing on her tiptoes and pressing a soft kiss to the lightly tanned flesh of his cheek. She moved back and smiled when Sportacus stared at her in a dazed fashion with a light blush covering his face. "Thanks Sportacus. You really are a hero. See you later. Oh and call me Arianna." And with that she was gone.

Sportacus raised a hand to his cheek and gently touched the spot where her soft, warm lips had been only moments before. A wide grin spread across his face and he flipped out of her window and down to the ground below where he continued to flip down the street.

At the other end of town, Robbie Rotten was trying to think of new ways to get rid of Sportacus. He went over to his periscope and had a look around town. He saw the kids playing soccer and he recoiled in disgust. Why couldn't they just be lazy? Their town was called LazyTown for crying out loud! Ever since that blue elf Sportacus came to town, everyone was being active instead of lazy. To say that Robbie didn't like Sportacus was a huge understatement. He practically _loathed_ him and nothing he did seemed to get rid of him or make the kids lazy.

Speaking of the blue elf, there he was flipping and twisting down the street as always. But there was an extra spring in his step.

Robbie wondered what could have caused it but decided to find out later after he took a nap. He shut the handles of his periscope shut and to move it up out of the way, only to get his hands stuck in it. Robbie's pained howl echoed throughout his underground lair as he tried to yank his hands free.

* * *

_Whew! Another chapter done! I hope you guys don't mind that I made Sportacus rather serious. Don't worry! He'll back to his normal, happy self. Well normal for him. Ooh la la! Le Blush! Could there be something there between him and Ari? Or Arianna as she told him to call her. I will say this, no one calls Ari Arianna unless she likes them or they're family._

_Poor Robbie. He never gets a break does he? I tried to make it a little lighter at the end by adding a small bit of Robbie abuse. Let's face it that stuff like this will happen a lot to him during the story. He's good for comic relief. Anyway please read and review!_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 : Training with Sportacus and Plotting Kids

_Hi guys! I wanna apologize in advance if this chapter seems like crap. My muse was almost dead on this but thanks to my good friend PrincessKanako we worked something out._

_I do not own the song used. It belongs to Disney._

_Hahaha! The Bucket comes BacK! And poor Robbie is just so easy to pick on! Enjoy!_

* * *

Time went by, and Arianna and Emma adjusted to their new life in LazyTown. Emma found friends in Stephanie, Stingy, Trixie, Ziggy, and Pixel. She played all day with them while Arianna spent her time either helping Aunt Bessie or outside drawing.

Sportacus was a frequent visitor and often the subject of Arianna's drawings though she never showed him those. Ever since her little break down, she had become very fond of the blue hero and loved nothing more to sit outside in the early morning and watch him do his daily laps around town. Though she would never admit it, she was very attracted to the hero, despite her promise not to fall in love again. It wasn't like there was any harm watching him train.

Sportacus had gotten to know the young woman fairly well and offered to help her get back into shape after she healed. She had been a little apprehensive at first because there was no way she'd be able to do what Sportacus did. As if sensing what was on her mind, he promised to take it easy on her and go slow she could adjust to moving her muscles after who knows how long.

When they first started their training, Emma had decided that it would be funny to hide all of Ari's shirt and only left one behind was a black cropped short sleeve t-shirt that ended just under her bust with a big 10 in white on the front. Ari had to laugh at the irony and made note to get her sister back later. For now she would just deal and she was thankful she still had her bandages on. While ribs had healed, she still had bruises and cuts and she didn't want the kids to see them. She'd spare them the horror that was her life.

She brushed out her hair and headed downstairs for breakfast. Having hung out with Sportacus so much caused her to develop a healthy eating habit. She still ate junk food but it was on the very rare occasion. Not wanting to run out of energy but not wanting to make herself sick, Ari made a couple of slices of toast with peanut butter, grabbed a cup of yogurt and a big glass of milk. Once her breakfast was finished, she ran outside to look for Sportacus. She found out at the soccer field but he wasn't alone. All the kids were there too. She raised an eyebrow at this but slowly moved towards them at her own pace.

"Hi Ari!" The kids greeted her. She greeted them back with a smile and turned to Sportacus and gave him a soft smile full of affection. "Good morning Sportacus."

"Morning Arianna! How are you feeling?" Sportacus asked the girl, trying not to stare at her outfit. It was a lot different from what he was used to seeing her wear.

A soft giggle was heard coming from behind Stephanie and sure enough, Emma was hiding behind her.

Ari crossed her arms and glared playfully at her younger sister. "You and I are going to have a serious talk about how it's not nice to hide peoples' clothes young lady." She said, with a hint of humor in her voice.

Emma smiled sheepishly, but her eyes were unrepentant. She giggled again, and hid when her sister swatted at her playfully.

Sportacus looked at Ari, confused. "She hid your clothes?"

Ari grinned at him good naturedly to let him know that she was fine with it. "Yeah and the shirt I have on was the only one I could find. Well think of it this way, we match. In a sense."

Sportacus scratched the back of his head as he chuckled. "I guess we do. Let's start with some stretches and then we'll go for a jog around town. Does that sound ok to you?"

She smiled. "That sounds good. It's been awhile since I've gotten a good jog in."

They did their stretches with the kids joining in, before jogging out of sight together. Once they were gone, Emma turned to the others with a serious expression on her cute little face.

"Alright so what's the plan?" She asked looking at each of them in turn. The kids looked back at her confused.

"What plan?" Stephanie asked the little girl.

Emma huffed. "The plan to get Ari and Sportacus together! It's obvious that they really like each other, they're just too shy to do anything about it! My sister deserves to be happy and who better than Sportacus? She likes him and he likes her. It's perfect!"

Stephanie thought about it. "You know she's right! Sportacus has always been there for us! He needs a chance to be happy too! He's always smiling around Ari. But how will we get them together? They both seem too shy to actually think about confessing."

They all thought about it. They decided to come up with a series of plans to get the two together. Emma knew everything that freaked out her sister and spiders were one of them. Ziggy just so happened to have a fake spider that Pixel would fix it to make it move like a spider.

They hid behind a fence after placing the now mobile toy spider in the path that Sportacus and Ari would take and waited. Not long after, the couple showed up in the distance and closing in. Pixel, who had the remote control, pressed a button and the spider began moving.

Ari let a terrified screech upon seeing the huge toy spider and promptly jumped on the closest thing to her to get away. Which just so happened to be Sportacus's arms. Trying to calm her down, he carried the now thoroughly terrified and crying girl in his arms and took her home. Though their plan didn't work, it did seem to bring the couple a little closer after he carried her home bridal style. It looked like it was back to the drawing board for the kids.

A few weeks went by, and the couple continued to train. Ari was getting a lot faster now and could almost keep up with Sportacus without feeling too winded. Her bruises and cuts faded away but she still had some scars. They were barely noticeable and Sportacus never brought them up. It seemed like where one was, the other was nearby.

The kids hadn't thought of anymore plans. They were so intent on getting the two together that they hadn't noticed the lack of the town's villain making an appearance.

Said villain had been in his lair trying to think of a new way to get rid of Sportacus, or Sportakook, as he liked to call him. Speaking of which, he had been spying on the couple and been utterly revolted by their flirting. The thought of them being sweet to each other made him gag. He usually liked eating sweets, but seeing them together made him almost give the treats up. Key word: _almost. _

"There has got to be some way to get rid of Sportakook or at the very least weaken him to the point where he's outta the way! Ugh! Ever since he's been training with the girl, he's- Wait that's it! The girl! I'll use the girl to get rid of Sportacus! But how? Hmm… Better take another look, as much as the idea disgusts me to no end!" Robbie Rotten griped as he went to pull down the periscope. Only problem was, it wouldn't come down. No matter how hard he tugged, it refused to budge. It wasn't until he was using all his weight and his feet were off the floor, did the contraption decide to come down. Robbie was sent crashing to the floor with a random bucket appearing on his head.

"Where does this blasted bucket keep coming from?!" Robbie yelled, his voice muffled by the bucket still on his head. In his attempts to get it off, he crashed into many things, tripped over his favorite fuzzy orange recliner, and finally crashed head first into the periscope. The bucket flew off and landed in a corner, looking innocent and harmless, if a bucket could look like that.

Robbie rubbed his head and made a note to get rid of the offending bucket. He looked through the periscope and spotted Sportacus showing off for Ari as she laughed and clapped her hands. Robbie made a disgusted noise in the back of his throat at the sight but continued to watch.

"That's it! I'll dress up as Sportakook and then woo the girl. But I'll act so horrid that she'll hate Sportacus and then Sportacus will be heartbroken and leave LazyTown! It's brilliant, brilliant, brilliant! Genius I say! Hahahahaha!" Robbie exclaimed as he moved to put his plan in action only to trip over the bucket and trip falling flat on his face. His pained cry rang through the lair and echoed.

Outside, the kids looked up at the distant noise and then looked at each other. Emma looked at Stephanie and asked, "Was it just me or did that sound like Robbie Rotten?"

Stephanie just shrugged. "It could be. Now that you mention it, we haven't seen him around town lately. Hope he's not planning something again."

Emma smiled. "If he is, we can count on Sportacus and Ari to stop him. It's like she's become Sportagirl 10!"

Trixie looked up at this. "Sportagirl 10? Where did you get that from?"

Emma scratched her cheek. "Well she always wears that shirt with the 10 on it and she's always training with him when she's not playing with us, and she's there to help us. She's like Sportacus in a way only she's a girl. So she's Sportagirl 10."

Pixel looked up from his game. "That sounds pretty good! We should design her a superhero outfit too! It will be Pixelicious!"

"And it's mine!" Stingy said.

No one paid him any attention as they were too busy coming up with ideas for Ari's superhero costume. They headed back to Pixel's house to work on the designs.

Across town, a shiver went up Ari's spine as she turned to Sportacus who was currently lying next to her on the grass taking a break and eating an apple. "Do you get the feeling someone's talking about us?"

Sportacus looked up at her and felt his breath catch. Her hair was up in a messy bun and a few loose strands framed her face. The sunlight behind her head made it look like she had a halo of light behind her head. She looked beautiful.

"Sportacus? Are you alright?" She asked concerned.

Sportacus mentally shook himself of his thoughts and flashed her a brilliant smile that made her blush.

"I'm alright. We should go check on the kids to make sure they're alright."

"Ok. Knowing Emma, if we haven't heard anything from her, she's up to something."

The two set off in search of the kids. When they didn't find them outside, they assumed that they were inside cooling off and having a snack.

"Wait here I need to get something from the airship!" Sportacus said before flipping away and climbing up the ladder to the airship.

Ari sighed and undid her hair tie, brushing her hair out with her fingers. Unknown to her, Robbie Rotten was standing behind the tree dressed up as Sportacus. He had been waiting for Sportacus to leave to put his plan in action.

"There you are sweetcakes! Did you miss me?" Robbie faked Sportacus' voice as he jumped out from behind the tree.

Ari jumped and turned around. There stood Robbie disguised as Sportacus. She knew it really wasn't Sportacus because the one in front of her was flabbier, skinnier and well taller. And it didn't sound a thing like him and he never called her any nicknames.

She decided to go along with it to see what he was up to. "Hello Sportacus! Back so soon? Did you get what you were getting from your airship?" She asked sweetly, pretending that she was talking to the real Sportacus.

Robbie flinched at this. "Oh uh, I forget it in my haste to come back and see you so quickly! I'll go get it!" Sportarobbie said as he ran off.

Just as he left, Sportacus landed in front of Ari. "I'm back!"

"Sportacus, Robbie Rotten just showed up dressed up like you. He called me sweetcakes. I think he's up to something. Perhaps we should see what he's up to." She whispered leaning in close so it looked like she was embracing Sportacus.

"Good idea!" Sportacus whispered to her. "I'll go get us some water! Be right back!" Sportacus said loudly as he flipped away.

A few seconds after he left, Robbie came back with a water bottle. "Here you go Sweetcakes! Whoops!" Robbie said as he pretended to trip, dousing Ari with cold water.

It had been part of his plan to get her to hate Sportacus, but to his surprise and disappointment, all she did was laugh and flick her hair out of her face, hitting Robbie across the face with it in the process.

"Thank you Sportacus! That was refreshing! How about we have a picnic? "

Robbie blanched. This wasn't going the way he planned, not at all. Before Robbie could react, Sportacus came back. He paled even more.

Ari pretended to look surprised. She looked between the two in shock. "There are two Sportacus? How do I know which is the real one?" She asked as she sent a sly wink at Sportacus.

Robbie puffed up his chest. "I'm the real Sportacus!"

Sportacus retaliated by saying, "I'm the real Sportacus! And I can prove it!"

Ari smirked to herself. This was going to be fun! "Boys! Calm down! I'm sure there's a way to figure this out. Now let's see, the real Sportacus would be able to sweep me off my feet with no problem!"

Sportacus moved closer and swiftly picked Ari up bridal style with little difficulty. Ari giggled and fluttered her eyelashes while inside she was cringing at the girlish actions she was doing.

Sportacus put her down and she turned to Robbie. "Your turn!"

Robbie really didn't want to, but he knew he had to if he wanted to convince her that he was the real Sportacus. He grimaced before placing one arm behind her back and the other under her knees as he slowly lifted her up, straining as he did so until had her off the ground.

He held her like that for a few seconds, his arms shaking from the strain. "Ta-da!" he weakly exclaimed before putting Ari back down and trying to hide the discomfort in his arms.

Ari put a finger to her lips and pretended to be lost in thought. "Well the real Sportacus would be able to bring me my favorite flower. Since I told him about earlier in the week, the real Sportacus should be able to find my favorite flower. So off you go!"

Sportacus immediately ran off to go get a red rose from the garden he had helped Ari with a few weeks previous. Robbie however, stayed behind to pester her.

"What do you see in him-I mean me?" Robbie asked.

Ari just smiled. She knew what he was up to. He was trying to get her to hate Sportacus so Sportacus would leave LazyTown. But his words did make her think about what she saw in Sportacus. He was kind and sweet. He was really good with the kids and he was great to be around. What was more was that he made her feel safe, loved and wanted; something she hadn't felt in a very long time. He made her feel like a person and not a thing to be beaten and thrown around like a rag doll. It was then that Ari realized that she was in love with Sportacus. If she could, she would have snorted in disbelief. She ran away from an abusive relationship, found herself in a town from a kids show, and then fell in love with the hero of said kid show. It all felt rather ironic.

Music began to play and she didn't even flinch. She was rather used to music starting to play randomly, thanks to Stephanie and her friends; though she did have to bite back a laugh when she recognized the music and she fought harder to suppress her laugh when Robbie started singing. And rather badly at that.

_Robbie:  
Forget about that guy  
Forget about the way you fell into his eyes  
Forget about his charms  
Forget about the way he held you in his arms  
Walking on air's obnoxious  
The thrill  
The chill  
Will make you nauseous  
And you'll never get enough  
Just forget about love!  
Forget about romance  
Forget about the way your heart begins to dance  
Then you feel the blush  
When he's spouting out some sentimental mush  
Love really is revolting!  
It's even worse than when you're moulting  
Enough of this fluff!  
Just forget about love!_

Ari fought back another giggle as her turn came to sing. If Robbie was singing then she might as well too.

_Arianna  
I had almost forgotten the way it felt  
When he held out his hand for mine  
My heart all a-flutter_

_Robbie:_  
_Oh, how I shudder_

_Arianna_  
_The first time we hugged_

_Robbie:_  
_It won't be missed!_  
_Forget about 'is touch_

_Arianna_  
_I can't forget about his touch_

_Robbie:_  
_In the scheme of things,_  
_It doesn't matter much_

_Arianna_  
_It matters so mu-uch_

_Robbie:_  
_You're better on your own_  
_A meal becomes a banquet_  
_When you eat alone_

_Arianna_  
_Hmm-mm-mm-mm_

_Both:_  
_Love's filled with compromises_

_Robbie:_  
_And don't you hate those big surprises?_

_Arianna:_  
_A cozy rendezvous_

_Robbie:_  
_Oh, please!_

_Arianna_  
_Candlelight for two_

_Robbie_  
_Oh, geez!_

_Arianna:_  
_Look you're calling my bluff!_

_Both:_  
_(I can't) (Just) forget about love!_

Elsewhere, Sportacus had come to terms with his feelings as well. He loved Arianna but he just didn't know how to tell her. He didn't even know if she felt the same. Love could be very complicated.

_Arianna  
I can't forget about my heart_

_Sportacus:_  
_I can't forget about my heart_

_Arianna:_  
_And how it felt_  
_To fall for you right from the start_

_Sportacus:_  
_I'm still falling_

_Arianna:_  
_Whatever we may do_

_Sportacus:_  
_Whatever we may do_

_Arianna:_  
_You are here for me,_  
_And I'll be there for you_

_Sportacus:_  
_I'll be there_

_Both:_  
_To wish, to want, to wander_  
_To find the sun_  
_Through rain and thunder_

_Sportacus:_  
_A cozy rendezvous_

_Arianna:_  
_Yes, please!_

_Sportacus:_  
_Candlelight for two_

_Robbie:_  
_Oh, geez!_  
_Enough is enough!_

_Both:_  
_We can't forget about love!_

After the song finished, Ari turned to Robbie with a smirk. "Next time you decide to masquerade as Sportacus Robbie Rotten, try to make it a little more convincing."

Robbie gaped at her. "How did you know I wasn't Sportakook? I thought my disguise was perfect!"

"Well it would have if you weren't so tall and you aren't muscular like Sportacus is. You don't even sound remotely like him. Nice try Robbie, I'll give you a 7 for effort, but there is no way you'll ever be as sexy as him. Bye Robbie!" And with that she left in search of Sportacus, leaving Robbie gaping after her.

"Ugh! Women!" Robbie snorted as he stalked back to his lair. However later that day, he heard a knock on the hatch entrance leading to the lair. Thinking it was one of the kids bothering him, he climbed up the ladder and threw open the hatch. But there was no one there. He looked around before he saw something that surprised him. There was a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting with his name written on it in purple icing. Next to the plate there was a note. Picking up the cake and the note, Robbie retreated to his lair. Setting the cake down, Robbie opened the note.

_Dear Robbie,_

_Thanks for hanging out with us today! It was actually fun! We should do it again sometime. I made you this cake to say thanks. If it wasn't for you I would never have realized my true feelings for Sportacus. Can't wait to see you're next scheme. You should come to the park sometime and we can just sit in the shade and be lazy. Everyone needs a lazy day once in awhile._

_With love,_

_Arianna_

Robbie blinked and smiled. Maybe the girl wasn't so bad after all. A P.S. caught his eye.

_P.S. You should come out more. Eating sweets all the time and not getting some sort of exercise will make you fat. It's a wonder you aren't yet._

Robbie blinked a few times before scowling and tossing the note in the bin before sitting down to eat his cake. He was irritated slightly, but when he took the first bite, his annoyance melted away. Her cake was actually pretty good. So maybe he'd let that jibe slide just this once.

* * *

_And that's a wrap! Ugh, I honestly wanted to die while writing this chapter. Especially during the song. It was the only one I could find that seemed to fit. Well it seems that Arianna and Sportacus have the feels for each other. Doesn't look like they wanna admit it anytime soon. But leave it to the kids to play matchmaker! I decided to have her be a little nice to him after the jabs and then jab at him again. It's Robbie Rotten so how can you not jab at him? For anyone interested I am reopening my Disney Story._

_Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go get ready. Today is not only Mother's Day, but also my mother's, my brother Joe's and my now 3 year old nephew Cameron's birthday. Yeah, their birthdays are one of the easiest to remember. You try remembering 2 older sisters another older brother, 2 brother in laws, and 10 nieces and nephews birthdays! It's hard. But I've worked out a system. Now I gotta go and prepare myself. Cameron may be adorable but he's the Devil. I pity my poor sister._


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 :In sickness and in health, my heart beats for you

_Hi guys! PrincessKanako here; I'm posting for LadySly as her computer is a__cting up a wee bit, as you all know! So here's a fluffy chapter with much feels! Enjoy!_

* * *

Bessie's palm gently brushed back dark bangs to check her temperature.

"Mmm, still quite warm. Are you sure you don't want me to stay, Ari dear?" she inquired with a worried tone. It was very rare for her niece to be sick, and once she was, she would always go down hard. "You should've dried off immediately the other day after getting drenched!" she scolded half-heartedly.

A weak smile wobbled into place.

"I'll be okay, Auntie; I'm a big girl now." Ari lightly patted her Aunt's hand in emphasis. "Besides, if you hang around here, you'll get sick too."

The bluenette smiled warmly at her niece, her worries sated for the moment.

"Well, alright. If you have any trouble, don't hesitate to call. I'll be back at around three-thirty," she reminded, lifting herself off the black, star-covered blanket. "Do you need anything before I go?"

Ari shook her head with a negative. Bessie glanced at the small black clock, which perched idly on top the wooden desk in corner of Ari's room. Its hands read ten to nine. If she didn't leave now, she was going to be late.

"Alright… I'll see you later, then," With that, Bessie kissed her niece's heated forehead and headed downstairs to pluck Emma from the couch.

"Good luck…" Ari called out before she heard the front door quietly shut, leaving her and the empty house alone. Sighing, Ari remembered the time this had happened, all those years ago. It seemed that history had a tendency to repeat itself…

* * *

_Second-grader Arianna stared wearily out her bedroom window. She felt alone… Abandoned, even. She had been so excited about the field trip, too. __Feeling her lower lip quiver, the grip on her pale yellow coverlet tightened. _

_'What will happen if I'm alone forever?' she thought to herself, grass-green eyes closing with a heavy heart. However…_

_"Ari!" a childish cry echoed out her window. Tired lids opened with a start._

_'What…?'_

_Sitting up slowly, Ari gave herself a moment to let the dizziness of the fever to pass, and looked out her window, quite surprised to find her friend, Ellisa, there, waving up at her with enthusiasm._

_Ari felt her lips curl into a wide smile; any loneliness lifted by happiness. She pointed to her right, indicating that she would get the door. Step by step, Ari cautiously made her way down the stairs, having to give herself a few moments to let the dizziness pass, now and then. However, soon enough, the seven-year-old made it to the door, a little guilty for making her friend wait. She had to go on her tippy-toes to reach the silver handle, but managed to open it, receiving a warm greeting from Ellisa._

_"Hi!" she waved, causing her cotton blue dress to happily sway, a small white cap set on her red curls, protecting her from the sun's harsh summer rays. Flushed, but smiling, Ari returned the greeting, leading the petite girl inside._

_Ellisa diligently took her friend's hand, telling her about the fieldtrip and how she was missed. Ari quietly noticed how she was supported by the smaller girl and was not rushed in anyway when she had to rest - how encouraging and patient Ellisa could be, even in her calm silence…_

* * *

Smiling to herself, Ari recalled the rest of the memory: how Ellisa offered to share her lunch and how worried her parents had been, when they found out that their daughter wasn't with her class.

She stared yearningly out to the sky with a change of heart and fell soundly asleep…

* * *

The door opened slowly, allowing Sportacus to successfully slip into Ari's room. He looked around to find that his crystal was correct: Ari was sick and very much alone.

He gave himself a moment to take in his surroundings, now realizing that this was the first time he had actually been in her room. He could actually smell her sweet, rose scent. The above-average hero glanced at his hands, praying to anyone up in the big blue sky that nothing _weird_ would happen during his visit.

Sighing, he focused his gaze to his right, on the young woman, finding her coiled in a bundle of quilts, flushed, and sweating. Sportacus felt his brows furrow with distaste and lips firm into a line, walking up to her bed and carefully taking a seat at the edge. Brushing dark, soaked bangs back and testing her forehead with a calloused palm, he tested her forehead with a calloused palm.

_'Much too warm.'_

He was about to leave to go down stairs to get something to cool her off, until he was stopped by a soft whimper. Wide eyes softened to a cornflower blue as he quietly reassured, "I'll be right back." Standing, Sportacus pulled another thick comforter out knowingly from the cupboard, above her dresser, and placed it over the sick girl, patting her shoulder affectionately before heading towards his destination.

Blue trainers trod softly on sturdy wooden step surface as he went into the small, yellow-tiled kitchen, and grabbed the supplies he needed, preparing a pot on the stove. Satisfied with the started soup, Sportacus headed back up the stairs, knowing the contents would have to cook slowly.

Once back in Ari's room, he pulled her desk chair beside the bed, giving him a place to sit, and opened a small folding table he plucked out from the living-room closet, placing the tray, bearing washcloths, ice, and chilled water, on top. He dropped the cloth in the bowl, making sure it was fully soaked before taking it out, wringing it tightly in his strong, reliable hands. Turning slightly to face her, he noted that Ari was no longer curled on her side, but on her back instead, making it easier for him to apply the damp washcloth to her sweating brow. Carefully, he swabbed Ari's temples and face, receiving a content sigh as he did so. Nodding to himself in approval, he continued the gesture a few more times and then let the small towel rest on top her forehead, his fingers lingering on her cheek longer than necessary.

Sportacus leaned back in the chair with a sigh, reminding himself to handle the situation delicately. However, in the back of his mind, he knew he was impatient and that his emotions were on overdrive.

His gaze settled on Ari, who was contently curled with sleep, her sleeping form bombarded with quilts. He fought the urge to remove some of the blankets- worried she would possibly suffocate, or worse, be _crushed_ by so many pieces of fabric. He knew that he would have to let it be: it was best to sweat it out and not allow her to get cold. Sportacus nearly snorted at his own antics, realizing how _protective_ he had become. However, his irritation was soon snuffed out, as he knew that arguing with himself with his concerned, flustered emotions wasn't going to make her better. All he could do now was wait.

And wait he did…

He was a patient man, and let himself pass the time, idly caring for the girl he cherished while letting his gaze wander around her room.

After some time, two hours at most, he let himself wonder the rest of the home; just observing, not touching, soon bringing himself back in the kitchen. Sportacus tested the contents, recalling that they tasted the same way his mother had made them, oh-so long ago. With a heavy sigh, he turned the heat of the stove to lower. He felt a bit out of place for using the kitchenware without permission, but promised himself to clean and put everything back, as if nothing had been disturbed in the first place.

Sportacus went back upstairs, and brought the bowl of water he used to nurse Ari with down, disposing and refilling its contents with ice. He glanced at the clock, clicking his tongue with slight irritation at the time. It read ten past twelve.

_'That late already?'_ He knew Bessie usually finished at three-thirty. She would probably skip her usual leisurely cup of coffee and cake for her niece's sake. He would only have a few more hours with her before she arrived, Emma in tow.

His brows furrowed in confusion at his own selfishness, knowing how precious those two were to Ari, and that without them… Images of her tear-streaked face and curled figure flashed in his mind's eye, her cries of anguish echoing in his ears, as a dark, faceless figure stood over her threateningly. No, he didn't want that. Sportacus knew that her family were people Ari cherished dearly and couldn't live without. Despite this, a small voice hoped that she might, maybe, make room for him to squeeze into her full, precious heart.

And then he realized he was dumbly standing there in the living room hallway, tray in hand. Even if no one was around, an uncharacteristic blush peppered his cheeks, knowing he was acting like an idiot for allowing himself to become engrossed with such thoughts. After repeating his previous ministrations, he allowed himself to rest a hand on the crown of her brow.

"What you _do _to me…" the man muttered; sighing as he petted her midnight hair affectionately. "You are a wonder, you know that?" finding himself curling a few locks of hair around his fingers.

A sudden buzzing noise caught his attention and he saw the cherry-red cell on her desk spark and vibrate with life. His brows rose as he recognized the caller ID. That's right; she had a lunch break now, didn't she?

He shouldn't be answering this…Then why was he flipping the receiver open?

A concerned, feminine tone was heard on the other end.

"Ari dear, you finally picked up! I've been so worried. How are you feeling? Is everything alright, dear?" Bessie inquired.

He was supposed to answer, wasn't he? This was going to be strange. So much for that previous prayer.

"Arianna is recovering slowly, but doing well, Bessie," he said, forcing himself to keep his twitching grin down.

There was a cold silence, and then, "Who… What- WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY NIECE'S HOUSE? I SWEAR- IF YOU SO MUCH AS TOU—"

"Bessie, please. This is Sportacus." Looks like his intuition, of her getting angry, was correct.

"—THERE _RIGHT_ NOW TO—"

There was a ruffling noise and exchanged shouts. When then the noise settled, his ear receiving a high pitched, "Hello, Mr. Creepy Man?"

Sportacus chucked.

"Hello."

"Hi! Aunt Bessie is really worried right now, can you leave Ari alone, please?" Emma pleaded.

"Well, can you tell Aunt Bessie that Sportacus is taking care of Ari right now? Her fever is very high."

There was a loud, "AHH!" and then, "Auntie, did you hear? It's Sportacus! He's with Ari! Ari's not gonna be sad anymore!" the child chirped.

Sportacus barely noted the, "Oh my! I'm so sorry! Emma darling, hang up!" as the phone's receiver cut off rudely with a beep.

Chuckling, Sportacus closed the phone with a soft click, returning to his previous perch. That was a bad idea, a _very _bad idea. He suddenly regretted even _thinking_ of picking it up…

Sportacus's thoughts bubbled down to a simmer, knowing that he risked the chance of Ari waking up to answer it, something he yearned and feared for at the same time. How would she react with him there? Would she think it was _creepy_ that he was here in her home, nursing her back to health?

Hw buried his anxieties in the back of his mind. The feverish girl shifted, her own brow furrowing slightly before revealing a sea of green. Sportacus's tracksuit-clad body stilled with bated breath. This was it…

A few blinks, and then her gaze slowly focused on his stiff figure, pausing to moisten her lips before a soft, "…Hi"

The pinch of nails in his palms loosened, his breath releasing itself out his nostrils with a sigh, curtly nodding at the greeting, "Hi." Sportacus gave Ari a moment to adjust to his presence before asking, "How are you feeling?"

"…Better," she replied quietly with a weak smile.

Sportacus graciously helped as Ari pitifully failed to sit up on her own, reproaching himself for allowing his heart's pace to quicken when she leaned on him, from what he assumed, for support (and he wouldn't even hesitate to give it).

However, that thought was dismissed when he heard her murmur softly to herself in a daze, "…Smells good…"

He tried to ignore the _lightness_ the comment caused him to feel and gently placed a palm on her brow.

"You're still warm…" removing his hand and pointing a thumb behind himself, towards the kitchen, "You haven't eaten all day, would you like something?"

Ari smiled at Sportacus's nervous tone, unsure if this was a hallucination or not, but went with it anyway.

"Sure."

There was a gentle pull on his hand.

"Uh, wait." He saw she was making her way out of the warm bed. Her cheeks, already rouge with fever, turned deeper still. She tried to avoid eye contact, however, her weary body gave her the extra push; she needed him for support. "I…Umm…I need to use the bathroom," she explained with quiet embarrassment.

Sportacus nodded in understanding and bent to pick her up. Ari's stiffness caused him to pause as she sputtered, "I-I can walk!"

Sportacus gave her a look.

"You can barely stand, Ari; I doubt you can walk." With that, he resumed his previous action, gently lifting, and then supporting the girl's tank-topped back and navy-blue-clad legs with tender care. Ari didn't resist much, couldn't, finding herself relaxing instantly in his embrace. Her fever caused the heat of embarrassment in her cheeks to warm tenfold, watching the above-average hero cradle her to his chest as he descended down the stairs. Once they got to the door of the bathroom, she felt his chest rumble with a chuckle.

"I'm sure you can handle the rest from here, correct?"

"Yes!" she squeaked.

Again, just as he picked her up, he let her down with as much ease, steadying her when she wobbled on her feet and close the door with a sheepish grin. Sportacus sighed, relieved that she hadn't cast him out and was behaving friendly with him, at least.

As she did her business, he busied himself with preparing the simple meal, allowing a few moments of silence to try and compose himself. Soon enough, a watery flush and turning of facets warned him that his moment was short lived, revealing Ari, who was busy brushing her hair.

"Smells good…" she walked over with steadier footing, referring to the food this time, and settled herself on her kitchen table seat.

"Nu-uh. You're going back to bed," Sportacus said with a smile, pointing his finger upward.

Ari's blank face told him she had trouble understanding what he said.

"…What? But this is _my_ house…" she groaned. A grin slid into place.

"True, but you are going to get sicker if you eat down here." When he finally lifted his gaze, he had to pause a second to admire how _adorable _she looked with her furrowed brow and jutted lip. "Come now, the food is already there," he argued, pointing to the obviously bare kitchen top.

So much for his composure.

* * *

"…I can feed myself, you know?" she stated quietly, after receiving another mouthful of the pleasant tasting soup.

"I know," Sportacus tilted the porcelain bowl to scoop out the last bits of its liquid contents, "But you're almost done. Now…" Again, he was torturing himself as noticed her moist lips. "Looks like someone was hungry. What happened to having an uneasy stomach?" he teased, receiving a mock glare from Ari.

And then there was a content silence.

Sportacus soon found that he needed to busy himself, and started to rise to put the dishes away. However, Ari had a knack for surprising him. Finding her small hand tightly gripping his, she prevented him to leave.

"I…Um...Thank you for today. It was really nice of you to take the time to do this for me."

Sportacus felt the corner of his lip twitch upward, ignoring his erratic heartbeat, and nodded.

"Any time, Ari."

She just smiled, her gaze causing him to slowly unravel, revealing his rattled emotions wide open. It was strange to be feeling this way, vulnerable, _scared_. It was just a simple question…

Ari sighed, covering her mouth with her hand as she tried to stifle a yawn. Sportacus watched her, smiling knowingly, as Ari lay back with a plop, finding herself suddenly exhausted.

"Tired?" he inquired.

"Sorry…"

A pleading emotion wafted to her sleepy gaze. He nodded in understanding, caressing her cheek with the pad of his thumb.

"You need your rest."

In the meantime, he set to clean up the supplies he had borrowed, leaving Arianna to wonder briefly about the tender caress before she slipped under.

* * *

Sportacus slowly opened his lids; eyes instantly gazed upon Ari's sleeping face. He hadn't lost consciousness to the lull of winged dreams, but allowed himself to truly cherish the moment of holding her. His crystal flashed silently, and he nearly groaned. Well, he'd had her all to himself most of the day.

He reluctantly removed his arms, already missing the warmth she provided, and tucked the thick blankets over her even higher. Sitting on the edge of her bed, he checked her temperature one last time, finding that it had become much cooler to when he had first gotten there.

Standing, he kissed Ari on the forehead before scavenging the materials he had borrowed to nurse her back to health.

And, by god, he couldn't keep that _stupid_ grin off his face! Sportacus knew he was going to have to learn how to conceal this wonderful feeling, and fast! Otherwise, his reputation in public circles was going to go down the drain.

Tsk.

* * *

_And that's that! I nearly choked on the amount of fluff in this chapter. However, the fluff-plot-bunny in my head insisted that this would work for this story, and considering I never posted it up before...well, I think it's safe to say it's in a good place. Looks like Sporty is coming to terms with his feels for Ari! But will Ari do the same? I've no clue! And Sporty is hiding the feels until he gets a confirmation from Ari! AHH! SOO MUCH FEELS!Anyway, thanks so much for putting up with me for this chapter. I may post again if LadySly asks me to, but if that doesn't happen, thankies for putting up with me!_

_Much love, Princess Kanako x _


End file.
